Medical entities acquire and store significant amounts of patient medical information for diagnosis and tracking purposes. Historically, this information was acquired using paper forms, filled out by patients or medical entity personnel. Also, medical entity personnel would need to know specifically which forms to provide to patients depending on the specific medical history, current condition of the patient, and any other information that may be relevant to medical care of the patient. Often, the multitude of forms actually used for a given patient would request the same information multiple times. These forms may then be stored in a paper file, for future references by medical entity personnel.
Electronic Medical Records (EMR) have become a standard storage technique for medical and health records for patients of medical practitioners and medical entities. EMRs contain a considerable amount of medical data for specific patients, from various sources and in various formats. Collections of EMRs for medical facilities provide medical records and history for most, if not all, patients in a medical entity.
The entry of data into an EMR, however, may still be a very complex issue involving the manual selection of proper electronic forms for particular patients. Medical facilities and medical entities face challenges in improving the quality of care for patients, as well as reducing costs and increasing revenue. Efficient and effective entry of information into medical systems and EMRs may aid in the pursuit of these goals by increasing availability of data relevant to the care of patients.